Science fact not fiction

Science fact not fiction

Science fact not fiction

From boffins in Basingstoke to brainiacs in Bangor, the UK’s scientific community is celebrating British Science Week in style. This ten-day festival of science, technology, engineering and maths kicked off on March 8, with events scheduled across the country in schools, colleges and universities, museums, libraries, galleries and even shopping centres.

Coordinated by the British Science Association – and funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – the campaign is not just for professionals from lecture halls and laboratories. It attracts science fans from all walks of life, including school kids, parents, teachers, college students and armchair enthusiasts who love astronomy, chemistry, physics and more.

Young people, in particular, are being encouraged to think about the discoveries that can impact our daily lives by exploring science at work in the world all around us.

That’s why fun, family-friendly events are taking place across England and Wales.

Weather watchers can also get involved with members of the public across the UK asked to help digitalise weather records – by entering historical weather information into a database – to better predict the future of the planet’s climate.

Not all of the events are happening in the ‘real world’. Run With The Ancestors is an immersive running app made especially for British Science Week 2019. Users can experience ‘one million years of history’ scaled down to a 10k or 5k virtual race in an app produced by Six to Start, the team behind Zombies, Run!, the world’s most popular smartphone fitness game.

Prefer live action? There are also 5k and 10k races planned for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on Saturday, March 16.

But if this year’s Science Week simply isn’t enough to satisfy your passion for progress, there are many exciting scientific sectors to work in and enjoy every day.

It’s not surprising space exploration is top of the list for many. After all, the UK has become a hub for major players in the industry and the government predicts the space industry could be worth £40 billion a year to the UK economy by 2030.

You may not get to be an astronaut but there are many sectors where engineering and telecomms skills will help shape the tech that sees our species reach for the stars.

Health is another area where science is moving beyond what have long been considered ‘final frontiers’. That’s why Healthcare Science Week, a yearly initiative to raise awareness of careers in medical science, is taking place right now alongside British Science Week.

The prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a vast range of conditions rests in the able hands of medical scientists and the aim this week is to highlight these professions. With promotional events planned for hospitals, schools and colleges, it’s hoped more will be inspired to become part of the scientific workforce of the future. If you’d like to join what’s without doubt the most challenging and rewarding area of the NHS, there are laboratory-based roles that explore genetics, vaccines and new treatments.

From an engineering background? Many health scientists seek to improve medical equipment or create entirely new technology to help rehabilitate patients.

Of course, like nurses and doctors on the frontline of care, you could also choose to work directly with patients. In audiology, for example, you would be measuring, diagnosing and treating hearing and balance.

As with healthcare, engineering is at the forefront of scientific progress in many sectors – and there are many roles to choose from that will see you play a vital part in shaping the future.

From the civil engineers creating transport infrastructure, including roads, bridges and tunnels, to the automotive engineers designing next-generation electric cars – many that will drive themselves – the scientific highway is fast-forwarding the UK into the future.

Protecting the environment is another important element of science at work. Civil engineers and construction workers are needed to bring innovation to the design of dams and ensure entire nations have access to water or protection from flooding.

Planet-saving projects that utilise natural powers, such as wind and tidal turbines, need those who can bring hard science into the civil, mechanical and software sectors to ensure a healthier planet.

Last, but not least, are the IT crowd and tech wizards. Computer scientists build, develop and revolutionise those invisible forces that help advance everyday lives.

As we become ever more integrated with the digital world, we’re going to need ever more complex software to make seamless interaction with online systems possible. That makes software developers and engineers, in particular, increasingly in demand to make the magic happen.

Experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are also en vogue – the UK is seeing a massive rise in AI activity with a new company launching every week over the past three years.

Throughout British Science Week the message will be clear: science is what makes the world go round. If you’d like to turn your own science fiction into fact, you can boldly go with innovative new roles online now.

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